Pix - E Major

[Steve Hargreaves - Moderator]

Hey Tim....I was just wondering if your lovely little graphic design of the Pix-E Major name/logo might be available to those of us more..ah..."creatively challenged" than your good self.....???

 

Maybe an email of the word file or JPEG could be made available to those who ask nicely???

[r6dan]

Looks like I will have to spend my last on the mag so as not to miss out on such a beautiful model 

[ian ludwell]

Thanks for your reply Tim,i was compiling a list of parts required and looking at the servo's i have Hitec HS 81 x2,E-Max CF 2812 Brushless outrunner1650 Kv,not sure about the motor,would the servo's be ok.

Was checking on BRC website and the suggested motor/esc combo was out of stock,but as it happens(sound like Jimmy Saville) i am going to the Harrogate modellers fair tomorrow and BRC will be there so my beloved has given me 2 weeks pocket money and a bit extra for a cup of tea, hope i dont get mugged,£9:50 is a lot of money to be carrying about.

Will you ever be doing the plan for the Super Scorpion?

[Sy]

Every now and then, a plan pops up in RCME that just has to be built! Have been looking for a vintage type model for a while and this is just the ticket! I would say this is my winter build, however, its soooo nice that I reckon will have it on the go and built within 2 weeks!

 

As for colour scheme? I am going to present in a seudo RAF trainer scheme, as the aircraft is similar to the Beagle Husky that the Air Cadets had one of at 5 AEF in Cambridge back in the late 70's, happy days!! I believe the aircraft is still about in civilan ownership?

 

As for the power set-up? BRC is showing ot of stock for the bell outrunner and ESC combi. does anyone else know of anyone who stocks that motor? 

[Tim Hooper]

What a fantastic response!

 

The Ashbys reckoned this was going to be a popular plan, and it seems they were right!

Let's see if I can answer your queries in turn......

Steve, I have to make a confession about the logo.  I didn't design it myself - rather it was my good lady, Netty, who comped it up in PhotoDraw for me.  Having read your plea, she's re-saved it as a jpg. file and I've uploaded it to my General Gubbins gallery....

 Ian,

 

Those HS81's are probably a little heavy for the model - especially if you intend to mount them in the tail.  Don't they weigh around 18g each?  I've save them for a larger model, and source some 9g cheapies instead!  Try BRC, Robotbirds or Giant Cod.

 

Sy,

 

Robotbirds are listing the motor here;

[URL]http://robotbirds.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=56_325&products_id=736[/URL]

 

Mind you, with a little bit of fettling, I'm sure that pretty much any 80-100 outrunner could be persuaded to fit in the nose.....  I reckon the RAF scheme will look great too.  I've seen a rubber-powered original done in US coastguard colours (white/red), and that's what prompted me to start this particular project.

 

Dan/Taildragger,

 

Thanks again for the encouragement!

 

tim

 

 

 

 

[Tim Hooper]

Here's that US Coastguard-based version.

 

.....and here's the link to the build thread on RC Groups;

 

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1117742&highlight=pixie 

[julian]

A good looking model Tim,this is on my "to build"list during my christmas holiday.There's something about those old designs that "do it" for me.

All the wood required is in my scrap and offcut box.

Good construction images and text in the mag,my son wants to have a go at building it-with dads help.

 

[ian ludwell]

Hello Tim,sorry for the confusion with the Hi-tec HS 81 servo's,i am so into the Zulu ET at the moment that i forgot it is the HS 81s i am using for the Ailerons,the servos i have checked in my drawer are Hi-tec HS 55s,and as  these are slightly less than 9 grms i hope they will suffice,i notice in my little book of projects that i watched with interest your notes on the Seibel SI 201,i was going to have a go but wandered onto something else,but may come back to that at another time...thanks again.

[Tim Hooper]

Ian,

 

We all get confused at times.  I have to limit myself to just one project at a time, otherwise it all gets too much for what's left of my mind.......

Yes, the HS55's will be ideal for the Pix - E!

tim

[r6dan]

What is the best covering for this type of plane,should I tissue and dope her and is it still worth using,with all the plastic film stuff around now? I  have never used tissue and fancy giving it a go.

Edited By r6Dan on 27/11/2010 19:35:56

[Tim Hooper]

Dan,

 

Tissue would great, and would really look the part!

 

Other than that, I'd suggest either Litespan (for that tissue type look, but without the mess and fumes), or Solite (the thinner version of Solarfilm).  Or a combination of two or more!

 

The white areas on mine are Litespan, the silver is ordinary Solarfilm, and the green is stick-on Solartrim.  Whatever was lying around doing nothing really....

 

I'd avoid anything heavy, or anything that might distort the airframe though.

 

tim

[r6dan]

Cheers Tim I think I will go the tissue route,got the plan today,need to get to the LMS tomorrow to stock up on wood,tissue and dope (as I am no scratch builder I don`t have any stocks of timber)and get myself started.

Edited By r6Dan on 28/11/2010 15:49:13

[Tim Hooper]

Good luck Dan!

 

Don't set your self inpossible standards (like a lot of first timers do) - just aim to get a reasonably straight and light aeroplane as an end result.

 

Just as an aside, my own Pix - E saw some airtime today.  Looked very pretty doing low passes against the snow-covered field.

 

tim

[r6dan]

I don`t expect it to be perfect,but I will try and get it as near as I can,will post up some build pics too.

Also as the motor you used is not available, what sort of wattage will it need to be?  

[Steve Hargreaves - Moderator]

Thanks for the design Tim.....much appreciated!!! Thank Netty for me too!!!!

 

Ian, the Super Scorpion already exists as a kit from Ben Buckle ...they also sell the plans for the original Scorpion (44" span) & even a Micro Scorpion (27")

[Tim Hooper]

Dan,

 

Robotbirds list the motor on their site too;

 

 http://robotbirds.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=56_325&products_id=736

 

tim

 

[Neil Powell]

Tim,

 

Thats a lovely model. I've made many similar free flight models but i'm now using the Pix-E plan to build my first RC. A couple of questions if you don't mind.

 

How did you go about making the hinges for the elevator and rudder?

 

If i were to add ailerons would it make a great deal of difference to how it flys.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Neil

[r6dan]

Cheers Tim,I will see if I can get one of those.

[Tim Hooper]

Neil,

 

Hinging is up to you!  Sewn hinges wouldn't be out of place at all, and would look very appropriate to the model.  However, I used slivers of commercial 'hairy' CA type hinge.  Mind you, in the past i've used snippets of an old floppy disc (remember them?) with all the brown coating sanded off.  Then again, you could use clear tape, or the covering itself!

 

You're a bit spoilt for choice really!

 

As for ailerons, I'm not sure.  I think you'd have to reduce the dihedral a tad for them to be worthwhile, but as the model isn't really rigged for aerobatics, I'm not sure that you'd actually gain anything worthwhile in flight.  It'd still be happiest just drifting around in lazy circles!

 

Dan,

 

Rumour has it that BRC will be receiving more soon, so it might be worth checking with them again.

 

tim

 

[Neil Powell]

Thanks TIm. The advice is much appreciated.

[Sy]

If anyone is desperate for the Towerpro motor, I have a 2nd hand one available on ebay item number 190477510754. Please note that the motor works fine, but I damaged the mount when I rounded off a grubscrew and hashed the mount trying to drill it out. I am supplying a new mount with the motor though! 99p may get you a bargain!!

 

My build is progressing well,hope to post some pictures of my RAF trainer colour scheme when model is a little closer to the finish point. 

[Kit White]

Could you possibly provide me with a list of all the balsa and materials needed? I haven't yet accumulated a 'spares box'. Is this an easy kit to build, and easy to fly?

[Tim Hooper]

Kit,

 

Thanks for your interest!

 

As I said in the article, I didn't actually have to buy any wood specifically for this model, so this is going to be a bit of a guess!

 

1/8 hard - 1 sheet (spars, longerons)

1/8 medium - 1 sheet (tail surfaces, fuselage crossbracing, formers)

1/16 medium - 2 sheets (ribs)

1/8 bamboo skewers - 6

14 swg wire - 1

1/64 ply - cowl cheeks (substitute thin card or 1/16 balsa if necessary)

1/16 ply - motor former + u/c plate.

 

There's bound to be something I've missed - wheels, horns, etc.,  - but this should get you underway!

 

 As plan-built models go, then, yes, it is comparitively easy both to build and fly.  However, if this is going to be your first ever model, then I'd plump for a simple ARTF model whilst you get to grips with the niceties of actually flying.

 

tim

 

[Kit White]

Thanks for the list, thats smashing. It is not my first plane; It is my second kit, my first being a Westwings Beguine, which incidently ran exactly the same motor/esc/prop combo as you use on the Pix-E. How would building a Pix-E compare to building the Beguine?

 

Would you be able to point me in the dirrection of any other RCME plans which would suit me and my limited previous building/flying experience?

[Tim Hooper]

Kit,

 

I forgot to add a sheet of medium 1/4 , and a sheet of medium 3/16 to the list (for the LE and TE respectively), although there's nothing to stop you laminating them from thinner stock.

 

I can't comment on the Beguine (not ever having had one), but they look of the same ilk, don't they?

 

As for RCM+E plans, I don't really know.  You could have a trawl through the online shop, for something similar, I suppose.

 

If you fancy a simple,lightweight scale model then you can't really go wrong with one of Peter Rake's designs.  I've built several, and never been disapointed yet!

 

http://www.peterrake.com/php/Main.html 

 

tim